Firaxis has really managed the classic "UFO - Enemy Unknown" to port 1994 in the new millennium and to interpret it so new, remain that both newcomers and veterans of the series tied for hours in front of the monitor again.
Why?
It is again this grandiose mix of global strategy and tactical squad combat, who have remained roughly based fortunately, though so dynamically staged that one thinks that it was an action game - "Incubation - Battle Isle IV" sends his regards.
What's the matter? Aliens threaten Earth, it comes increasingly to extraterrestrial incidents. To counter this invasion that XCOM is founded. A special unit of all the resources of the earth community be made available, to find out what is going on with the threat and the intentions of the aliens and of course to defend the Earth. They are the "General" and take all strategic and tactical decisions.
The game can be roughly divided into 2 parts:
the global level, where all strategic decisions are made:
- Expanding the base by means of various modules (research institutes, workshops, hangars, ...)
- Research into new (alien) technology
- Management of the soldiers, ie leveling and finishing selbiger
- Start of Abfangmissionen enemy UFOs
- Making decisions (which areas are supported by the XCOM; affects the financial support of various States.)
- Putting up spy satellites
- Manage the financial resources
- Manufacture of equipment
the tactical level at which the fights are performed
The fights take place around based. In each round, the soldiers of the squad can (initially consists of 4 soldiers and can in the game up to 6 soldiers include) each move once and once attack or perform 2 movements (in order!). Depending on the selected class of the soldiers and the associated properties (which are selected by rank rise), this movement will also be modified, for example, a Scout then 2 times move and connect also complete an attack.
The battle maps are all hand-made and not randomly generated. The environment is completely destroyed and there is a rudimentary cover system (display means "shield") and realistic physics effects: a fire, for example ignites at a gas station and take one lap later to the gas pump, as this and is in a large radius everything explodes in AFFECTED.
The staging of the fighting is very dynamic for a turn-based game. For each enemy discovery there is dynamic tracking shots from the shoulder perspective of soldiers and successful "kills" are set by Killcam cinematic scene - great!
The tactical missions are her superficially very varied of its objectives: it applies to protect VIPs / freeing to survive terrorist missions Eskorteinsätze, the mountains of spec. Equipment ....
At the end it runs but it always out to eliminate all enemies, or - better - to capture. After using all the bodies and alien artifacts salvaged namely automatically. The parts are used for research and reproduction of Alienbtechnologien. This resource is always limited and therefore it is worth all the opponents always be switched off.
The game is set in a rudimentary background story, which is told with considerable cutscenes. After certain events that are triggered in the game, this is retold. There are then more story-related missions, but can be approached in its sole discretion and without any time pressure.
There are 4 levels of difficulty, where the first two are intended for "newbies" and from "Classic" the veterans who have already played the original, be addressed.
Also worth mentioning is the "Ironman" mode, in which only one memory level can be applied and the death of a soldier is permamnent - just what professionals and pain resistant ;-)!
The levels of difficulty differ in that the higher the more vitality points are the aliens and their number and accuracy are increased. In addition, the aliens move from the Classic Difficulty also independently in the "fog of war", as they are "triggered" in the two lower. In addition, the resources are limited, the higher the level of difficulty. This means that the game or the decisions important and tactical are and take the fighting even longer because you have to proceed deliberate and often times loses a team member.
Now, after an almost gambled night I have to admit that Firaxis has actually done it the old flair of the original catch skillfully, much to detoxify in view of better playability (although here not all encounters reciprocal love: so I do not like so much that you can no longer influence the minigame of Abfangsequenzt of UFOs as before) and a title created which develops enormous potential for addiction and this "just one more turn" feeling triggers immediately.
An absolutely terrific comeback of turn-based strategy!
I as a veteran UFO can only say: applause Firaxis, you've done it - so does the modern remake of a classic!
For completeness: the game also includes a multiplayer mode where you can compete online (including online ranking and ELO system.!) Against other players. Here, the squad from both Terran soldiers and all available in the game Aliens can be compiled.
But I recommend first the campaign to play through, so as not to release the tension of the discovery of the new aliens from the game!
The game is completely in German! Screen text, voice and manual. Unfortunately, the voice acting is sometimes a bit "monotonous" and the text translation in some places not quite logical, but overall it is okay. Thanks to Steam but you can also switch to English, if desired!
Important final remark:
The game runs only (!!) on Windows Vista / Windows 7! Who still uses Windows XP as an operating system, XCOM can NOT play.
![The Bureau: XCOM Declassified - [Xbox 360] (Video Game)](https://img.tgreer.com/thumb/85x85/1/f0/1f0e0752f3219f3603bb18318f6b3f2c.jpg)
